


Twilight in Pleasantville

by adella_green



Category: Big Wolf on Campus
Genre: Cheesy, I Am Too Old To Write Teenagers, Lori Ships Them Aggressively, M/M, Overuse Of Capital Letters For Comical Purposes, Stream Of Consciousness Of Some Sort, Twilight References, no one in this fic is straight, self-questioning, wlw mlm solidarity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:42:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28926732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adella_green/pseuds/adella_green
Summary: They needed to work Some Things out, and the day finally came.Also, Stephanie Meyer is popular again (will it mean something? We don't know).
Relationships: Tommy Dawkins/Merton Dingle
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	Twilight in Pleasantville

**Author's Note:**

> This is kind of modern AU (God, it's more than twenty years since the start of the series), everyone is gay, Merton is a SJW (and I use it as a compliment), and they are such teenagers.
> 
> Written for the @reedeckert's Gay Werewolf Fanfiction Contest (he's from Tiktok, go watch his videos asap).  
> Upon consideration, I should have tried to make it more werewolf-y...

"...and I can't stress enough how horribly Indigenous people are portrayed there!" Merton was even a bit red from his righteous anger.  
"So why do you keep reading it?" asked Tommy while biting into an apple.  
He was busy examining the bite marks (much more deep and clean at the edges than usual, because his teeth started to turn sharper; it was indeed a full moon soon, he could tell it even without looking at a calendar) so he couldn't notice Merton blushing heavily.  
"I find it… somehow relatable", said the paranormal expert. He didn't care to elaborate though.  
"But it's so cheesy," Lori huffed. "Don't you have something better, or should I say, more intellectual to read?"  
"I sometimes must relieve my brilliant brain from all this labour I put it through," Merton parried with dignity. "And I thought it would be nice to support my sister in her recent efforts to bond with me."  
Tommy snorted silently because he figured out long ago that all the girl's efforts actually were to bond with Lori. It never ceased to surprise him how someone as "woke" as Merton could have such a bad gaydar.  
“Why would that even work? The books are ancient, no one reads them anymore,” muttered Lori.  
"ANYWAY," Merton sat straight in his chair, "Pleasantville seems too peaceful lately, don't you think? It's suspicious."  
Tommy and Lori nodded in agreement.  
"Maybe, you'll finally be able to spend the full moon laying in bed, watching romcoms and eating ice cream right out of the bucket," Lori teased.  
"As much as I want that (and I don't!), I will still have to run around the forest screaming and howling. It's not cool at all," Tommy said, staring at Merton to remind him once again that being a werewolf wasn't something to wish for.  
Merton shrugged.  
"We can still keep you company."  
"It would be nice."

Merton finished yet another chapter and put the book away. So far, the appraised Breaking Dawn couldn't offer any solution to his peculiar problem. He wasn't keen on manipulating friends (especially Tommy), and not only out of fear of losing ones he’d worked so hard to find.  
Also, the book started to annoy him abysmally (he liked that word very much; it was a pity he couldn't even try to reread Lovecraft without disgust after he'd learnt what a dick the writer was). Edward was a dick too and so was Jacob, which was especially unfortunate because Merton put many expectations into what, at the beginning, seemed a rare effort to portray a werewolf as a good guy/girl/nonbinary person.  
The friends even went to see the rerun of the first movie, which was, surprisingly, somehow better than the original, because they could listen to a pretty good soundtrack and enjoy the landscapes (and the sight of Lori swooning over Alice, like, the whole time). No werewolves yet, though. Perhaps, it was for the best: Merton didn't want Tommy to cringe for 121 minutes. However, it still was awful and they enjoyed roasting it very much.  
The memory warmed Merton's heart. But, as much as he loved Lori's company, he would prefer to spend some time with Tommy alone (but, maybe, with a better movie. Or none at all).  
He again went to the thought of Tommy finally biting his neck (yes, he wasn't a vampire, but it still was very sexy and Merton couldn't stop imaging it that way) and turning him into a fellow werewolf, and then them roaming together through the forest at night…  
There were no windows in the Lair so Merton couldn't tell what time of day it was. He relied on his alarm clock, which started buzzing right that moment and pulled the guy out of his so very romantic thoughts.  
It was time to go to the forest but, unfortunately, not for roaming hand in hand.  
Merton winced at himself. So stupid, he thought.  
How lucky he was, however, that no one knew about his "preferences". He had enough things to be bullied over as it was.

Lori sighed, adjusting the heavy bag's strap on her shoulder. Men are so IRRATIONAL, she thought. Not to be narrow-minded, but these particular two would never think of bringing blankets and hot tea for a night in the woods. She also carried some pieces of raw meat because she wanted to see how Tommy would react to it in his wild state. Perhaps, it wasn't the best idea. What if he went crazy and wanted to eat them too? Ah, Merton would think of something, no doubt. She had zero intent to do their work for them all the time.  
There was one thing, however, that she wanted to do for them for a long time already.  
She herself spent so much time in hopeless dreams of someone else and always finding out her feelings were unrequited (though as far as she knew, she could've have better luck, living in an ALL-GIRL dormitory of a Catholic school) so she could tell for sure if a person suffered from longing. Now she had a pleasure to study no less than two of such specimens, and she had to try hard not to facepalm every second over how stupid they were. Cowards.  
Lori'd got really tired of this already and spent a couple of weeks to come up with a plan to finally put them together. She didn't make up much except for this picnic idea she was ready to implement right now. The full moon was perfect for this, she supposed. Tommy would be in his wolf form, yes, but maybe it would give him more courage (she didn't rely on Merton's courage at all, because he had none, obviously).  
It was nice to be friends with guys for a change. She was so fed up with boys hitting on her all the time, even after she would make it clear that she was only interested in girls.  
And she loved her friends.

Tommy knew that Merton didn't like those awful Twilight books that much, but still was concerned. Lately (just before the whole Saga business), Merton was even more crazy about becoming a werewolf himself than usual, for some reason. Damn, the guy just couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that being a werewolf sucked. It was like early puberty all over again but with claws instead of acne. And the mood swings, urgh. And you-know-whats.  
Being in love with all its hormones (Merton must know what they are called) didn't go well with his curse too. Tommy too could relate to a Twilight character (as much as he wanted not to, ew). Let's say, he bit Merton. What if he ate him and only then came back to his senses? Merton's smell, being quite nice and all that, didn't make him go nuts, but still, the idea of simply kissing the guy seemed dangerous.  
So he felt content with staying in the closet even with his best friends. Being a football team captain, a popular student and, most importantly, a Mayor's son forced him to get used to secrecy and he never knew anything else. Of course, he still was a bit jealous of Lori, even though she wasn't all that open.  
Suppressing love wasn't much harder than keeping werewolf-ness under control. But for the second thing he had full moon to steam, and nothing of that kind for romantic feelings.  
Oh, he would even start reading more books for Merton (something not as lame as Twilight, though). It was the biggest character change he could think of yet. Actually, he hoped that he wouldn't need to change at all and would be able to just be himself, hugging and smooching Merton and listening to his nerdy (but interesting) lectures. And he didn't want Merton to change. Especially not into a wild, fur-covered creature.

Merton was walking along the street that went from his home to the forest. It would be the perfect time for yet another paranormal enemy to appear and destroy his plans and maybe also eat a couple of students’ souls.  
Perhaps, he was too cautious: each rustle of a leaf over the pavement made him start. But it would never hurt, right?  
He knew perfectly well that Lori thought of him as a coward and of course, he was one, no use to deny that. But maybe, just maybe, he could try to be bold for once. Bella’s strategy wouldn’t do (they weren’t in omegaverse, duh), and, to be honest, it wasn’t really a strategy but a hell of a lame plot device. But he, Merton, a weird goth nerd… No, that didn’t sound good. Anyway, he could try and be honest with Tommy.  
Or, maybe… start with himself.  
Why did he want to be a werewolf in the first place? Power? Strength? Finally embracing supernaturalness (is this even a real word?)? Yes, all this mystery of the inhuman world mesmerized him and he'd built his entire life around it. But was it the MAIN reason, in this particular case?  
Merton sighed as he accepted his defeat. He had to admit that The Main Reason was a chance to be next to Tommy (including that neck-biting part). To have something important to share. They did share Tommy's secret now, but it was so restricting! And it wasn't a personal thing to share because it involved Lori too. It wasn't intimate enough. But roaming through a forest hand in hand (with no matter how much fur on them) WAS.  
Now he had to come clean before Tommy convinced himself that Merton actually wanted only one thing from him. And he wanted so much more.  
God, he thought, Lori is right, I must stop reading this crap or I'll turn into a soap opera character.

Lori had been sitting on the blankets alone for quite some time already, so she got a bit mad and snapped at Merton when he finally came.  
"Five minutes later, and you would have to settle for sparkling water. But there's still some tea left in the thermos."  
"I… erm, brought cookies?.. Want some?"  
"Nah, I'm fine. Save some for Tommy if he's ever going to come. Unpunctual jerk".  
Merton sat next to her, even more fidgety as usual.  
Out of curiosity (and boredom), she asked him:  
"What's the matter?"  
Merton made a most serious face.  
"I have a problem I need to solve. With Tommy."  
Ah, she should have guessed. She gave herself a pat on the back if not for the working plan then at least for the perfect timing.  
"I have a notion," she started mysteriously, "that thou will succeed in thy noble mission, my child."  
"W… what?" Merton definitely didn't expect this level of drama from her.  
"For I suspect he might have the same problem with thee."  
The goth snorted.  
"Yeah, right. Why would he."  
However, he seemed to relax a bit.  
Finally, they heard a howl. It moved towards them with supernatural speed.  
Lori tensed her muscles reflexively. It still could be a danger.  
But thankfully, it was only Tommy. Somehow unsurprisingly, he failed to make an impressive entrance because he started to wave at them, got distracted and ran precisely into a tree (but, maybe, it WAS impressive in a way). His friends winced with pain and solidarity.  
But it didn't take the guy too long to recuperate.  
"Cookies!!!" he growled.  
Lori noticed Merton blushing and gave him a reassuring smile.  
"I have a surprise for you, Tommy. Or, rather, an experiment," she announced, getting the meat out.  
Tommy must have smelled it already because she immediately heard beastly sounds.  
"I hope it's not a bad idea," she said with uncertainty and unpacked the first slice.  
It resulted in a horrible howl from their werewolf friend.  
"OH MY GOD," she cried in panic, throwing the slice as far as she could, and, without her thinking for too long, the other five slices went in the same direction.  
She kept standing with her arms in front of her and eyes shut for a moment until Merton gasped.  
"WOW."  
She opened her eyes. The meat was gone and Tommy was sprawling on the ground with a smug and satisfied expression.  
"DID YOU SEE THAT? OH NO, YOU MISSED EVERYTHING!" Merton kept screaming, trying to catch breath.  
Tommy's face turned even more smug, annoyingly smug.  
"He caught them IN THE AIR!" the goth finally exclaimed.  
"You have a pretty good throw, Lori Baxter. But not good enough for me."  
If he was a werecat and not a werewolf, he would purr with arrogance.  
"I also have a pretty good kick!" she yelled and tried to attack Tommy but Merton stopped her just in time.  
"Oh, sorry," she softened and felt giddy with anticipation, "I forgot about thy noble mission."  
Finally, Tommy looked smug no more. He became very confused instead.  
"Ahem," Merton started formally, with his hands behind his back.  
"Is it more meat?" Tommy rudely interrupted. "Please let it be more meat!"  
"No," Merton continued weightily (and almost cunningly?..), "it is something much better."  
Lori couldn't decide what to do: whether laugh hysterically over how corny it sounded, or simply freeze in shock because of Merton's sudden confidence.  
"Oh, what lovely trees are there!" she exclaimed theatrically. "I simply MUST go and look at them for exactly the time you will need."  
She grabbed one of the blankets and the thermos with the left-over tea and darted into the forest as quickly as she could not to scare off the lovebirds.  
After a couple of minutes, she understood she went too far to hear anything, that was a shame. But upon consideration, she decided that was for the best and let the guys keep their privacy.  
Ten minutes or so passed. The tea was long gone and Lori got cold and a bit bored. What could they possibly discuss for so damn long?  
Then a mighty sound shook the forest.  
"I said I WON'T be jumping from tree to tree with you on my back! Shove this stupid Twilight idea up your… erm… nice-looking ass!"  
Lori groaned. She didn't want to scare them off after all the HARD WORK she had done, but she just couldn't stand it.  
"Can you stop being so freaking CHEESY, you guys?!" she yelled through laughter.  
"Sorry!" the boys cried simultaneously, and she heard them laughing too, shy and awkward. Then they went silent again and she hoped they were finally kissing. And if they were not, she would kick their stubborn asses tomorrow.

**Author's Note:**

> I watched the series very long time ago, and I don't really remember Lori's canonical personality, but I LOVE how she turned out in my writing, and I want her to t... marry me.


End file.
